Jakob The Liar

Little white lies make a dramatic impact in
this Robin Williams vehicle based on the
Jurek Becker book. Williams is Jakob Heym, a
pancake vendor relegated to physical labor
like the rest of the men in the Nazi-occupied
Jewish ghetto. Unjustly ordered to the police
commandant's office for a curfew violation,
Jakob inadvertently hears a forbidden radio
broadcast that indicates the Russians have
advanced to a point just 400 km away. At first
he keeps the news, the first of the war he's
heard in years, to himself. But when his friend
Mischa (Liev Schrieber) insists on risking his
life meaninglessly, Jakob uses the
information to offer him
hope.
Jakob's plan
backfires when Mischa spreads the rumor
throughout the ghetto that Jakob has a radio, a
possession severely restricted by Nazi rule. Of
course, no one believes his vehement
denials, and Jakob is forced to make up news
to pacify his hungry listeners. The liar doubts
the wisdom of his new role in the community,
but the hope that he offers plummets the
ghetto's rampant suicide rate while making
the men bolder to their brutal Nazi
persecutors.
Writer/d
irector Peter Kassovitz keeps the tone light,
juxtaposing Williams' clever banter with well
cast co-stars Schreiber, Alan Arkin and Armin
Mueller-Stahl with the ghetto's drab
surroundings drawn from a palette of dirty
grays, ash and slate. Kassovitz's camera
moves smoothly and energetically around
Jakob as he walks through the ghetto streets,
reflecting his cheerful mood after hearing the
illicit news despite the horror occurring around
him.
The film earns
respect by nixing a dramatic Oscar-nabbing
speech by Williams at the end, opting instead
to showcase the thesp's charismatic, albeit
battered, goofy grin. However, the potentially
sincere ending is negated by another lie,
giving the film a boxoffice friendly feeling of
hope but lessening its dramatic intensity.
Starring Robin Williams, Alan Arkin, Armin
Mueller-Stahl and Liev Schreiber. Directed by
Peter Kassovitz. Written by Peter Kassovitz
and Didier Decoin. Produced by Marsha
Garces Williams and Steven Haft. A Columbia
release. Drama. Rated PG-13 for violence and
disturbing images. Running time: 120 min.